Rising Force [Import]

Yngwie Malmsteen | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 23, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Polygram
• ASIN: B00004Z1E2
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (130 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #980,249 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Black Star

2. Far Beyond the Sun

3. Now Your Ships Are Burned

4. Evil Eye

5. Icarus Dream Suite

6. As Above, So Below

7. Little Savage

8. Farewell

Editorial Reviews

Japanese only remastered SHM-CD (Super High Material CD - playable on all CD players) pressing packaged in a paper sleeve. Universal. 2008. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the ultimate guitar masterpiece, but not a bad album., April 29, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Rising Force (Audio CD)

It's always hard for me to read reviews of Yngwie Malmsteen's albums, because they always tend to fall into two categories: first, the aspiring guitar players who put more emphasis on Malmsteen's skill with his instrument than his actual music and whose sense of hero worship for Malmsteen leads them to venerate his recordings based purely on the speed of his soling ("if you like REAL guitar playing, check this out!"); and second, the pretentious would-be music journalists who feel compelled to dismiss anything he does based purely on the fact that he's Yngwie Malmsteen ("he plays with no feel, it's all just mindless speed and fireworks," etc.) Neither perception of Malmsteen's work is very accurate, and both are wrong for the simple reason that there was much more to Malmsteen's early work than mere guitar pyrotechnics and flashy speed-of-light arpeggiated solos -- a fact that his worshippers don't seem to care about and that his detractors refuse to acknowledge.

Malmsteen does, in fact, play with a good deal of feel and emotion on this album. His love and enthusiasm for making music show through in everything he plays here. And of course, at this point in his career, Malmsteen was still a guitar virtuoso of the highest order. Even though Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore had been the first heavy metal guitarist to incorporate classical scales into a hard rock style, and Ozzy Osbourne's late right-hand man Randy Rhoads had perfected what would come to be known as the neoclassical style of heavy metal guitar, Malmsteen built on their work, creating a fully-formed and innovative style. Make no mistake about it: Yngwie Malmsteen is an exceptionally talented guitarist, and this album was one of the last moments where he actually demonstrated it.

But what both Malmsteen's fans and his critics fail to realize is that there's a lot more to look at in his music than just instrumental prowess. "Rising Force" is made up of genuinely good songs. "Black Star" is one of the all-time great rock instrumentals; it's one of the few Malmsteen instrumental composition that's actually built around a signature riff and contains a distinguishable solo (and what a solo it is!), rather than the entire song being the solo. The same can be said for "Evil Eye" and "Little Savage." "Far Beyond the Sun" and "Icarus' Dream Suite," by contrast, feature Malmsteen using a technique that Joe Satriani would often employ: namely, letting his guitar take on the role of "lead vocalist."

The real lead vocalist of Malmsteen's band, however, was a talented young self-taught singer named Jeff Scott Soto. Soto is one of the finest vocalists in all of rock music, but on this album he rarely gets a chance to show it. His vocals are only featured on two tracks, neither of which lets him show what he's capable of. "Now Your Ships Are Burned" makes terrible use of his amazing range, and "As Above, So Below" only hints at the feats of vocal brilliance he would achieve on Malmsteen's second album, "Marching Out." As it is, Soto manages to hold his own on this record and sound convincing, even while singing Malmsteen's sub-par lyrics.

Both "Rising Force" and its follow-up, "Marching Out," see Yngwie Malmsteen in rare form, as his amazing instrumental talent is actually matched by the music he uses it to create. It's just a shame that most people -- including those who actually like Malmsteen's style of playing -- don't allow for him to do anything musically interesting, which is what he was most certainly doing on this album.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Like The Way He Puts Yngwie J. Malmsteen To Distinguish Himself From All The Yngwies In The Business...., July 4, 2006

By 

Mr. Sinister (El Cajon, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rising Force (Audio CD)

I remember being in high school in the mid-80's and hearing the tale of this Yngwie Malmsteen character from all my musician buddies. Yngwie Malmsteen? What the hell kinda name is that? Who's this punk from Sweden think he is? I heard the Steeler stuff with Ron Keel and wasn't that impressed. The Alcatrazz stuff was better but Graham Bonnet got on my nerves. Then, out of nowhere, comes Rising Force.... Jesus H. Christ! This little punk from Sweden with the attitude from hell and the fingers forged of lighning really turned some heads, including mine. After snagging Uli Jon Roth licks in Alcatrazz, Yngwie settles down on his own and created one of the most important neo-classical shredder albums of all time. Just listening to it every now and again still fills me with awe. Since most of Rising Force is instrumental, Yngwie never caught on with the chick crowd and therefore never attained Rock God stature. He was more of a mucisian's musician. The two songs that bear lyrics are "As Above, So Below" & "Now Your Ships Are Burned" giving us a glimpse of the coolness that was Jeff Scot Soto on lead vocals. Yngwie's lyrics aren't exactly the best, and they continue into the cheesy all the way into Trilogy, but these are still two of my favorite songs by Yngwie. As far as the rest of the album is concerned, where the instrumentals dominate, there is "Black Star" as the quintessential Yngwie staple. "Far Beyond The Sun" rocks in so many ways that it makes your head reel and the intensity of "Icarus Dream Suite Op. 4" with Yngwie trading licks with keyboardist Jens Johansen is insane. "Evil Eye" is very cool and one of the first songs I ever learned on guitar. "Little Savage" is mostly Yngwie showing off his speed to a pounding, semi-monotonous beat. And "Farewell" is just a little lesson in harmonics. Overall, you wanna hear a pioneer in the guitar shredding community. Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force is the album to buy. You won't be disappointed. After listening to him, you'll wind up using your guitar as a coffee table, as Spinal Tap's David St. Hubbins once said of The Ynger.

Dig it!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beginning of a Maestro, January 25, 2004

By 

BurningFate "IQSymphic" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rising Force (Audio CD)

Yngwie Malmsteen had quit the two bands before creating Rising Force with him as the main person. Malmsteen quickly recruited Jens Johansson (Keyboardist Phenomenon who is currently in a dying band Stratovarious), Barriemore Barlow (On the drums, whew this guy rocks!), Jeff Soto for vocals (Jeff Soto's voice isn't heard that much on this album but people don't really care as if you buy this album you should expect mostly an instrumental type of record) and Yngwie Malmsteen on the Acoustic, Electric AND Bass guitar. What in hells name does he NOT play? I'm beginning to this this genius not only create melodic fast pieces but he can also play them with lots of showmanship. Before Malmsteen started to try and commercialize his albums, Malmsteen had written his own lyrics...which upset Soto since he could not do much in that band. His raw and pure energy had been recorded in this album and I doubt anyone can find something as great as this album. Yes somehow this was the first album I had bought and I don't think I regret EVER buying this.